| Barinya Temporal range: early - middle Miocene |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Dasyuromorphia |
| Family: | Dasyuridae |
| Subfamily: | Barinyainae Wroe, 1999 |
| Genus: | Barinya Wroe, 1999 |
| Species: | B. wangala |
| Binomial name | |
| Barinya wangala Wroe, 1999 |
|
Barinya is a fossil genus from the marsupial family Dasyuridae, which contains the oldest known undoubted dasyurid.[1]
The principal difference between Barinya and more recent dasyurids are in the dentition and skull morphology; with Barinya displaying more primitive features. There is one described fossil and at least one that remains to be described. This genus has only been found at Riversleigh in Queensland where it is quite common in deposits from the Oligo-Miocene.[2]